In the digital era, alumni associations face numerous and critical challenges, including constrained budgets, staff shortages, and declining member engagement. Consequently, these institutions are seeking cost-effective, streamlined strategies and tools to manage member operations, drive engagement, and unlock new revenue streams while meeting public expectations for technological offerings. With 72% of members reporting higher levels of satisfaction and connection with associations they ranked as early adopters of technology, it’s no surprise that alumni organizations are turning to cutting-edge digital solutions in greater numbers than ever.

One avenue that holds particular potential is generative AI - most familiar in the form of  ChatGPT. ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is the latest algorithmic disruptor from  OpenAI - the same Silicon Valley startup responsible for DALL-E, the AI-powered digital art generator. Following its release in November 2022, it broke records by gaining a million users in its first week. By February 2023, it had 100 million monthly active users.

With its ability to process enormous amounts of complex data and generate highly detailed results that sound humanly composed, ChatGPT is disrupting industries ranging from education to journalism to e-commerce, and holds the potential to transform the alumni landscape as well.

In this blog post, we will explore eight ways that alumni associations can leverage ChatGPT for everything from improving the member experiences to donor outreach, in order to streamline their operations and enhance acquisition, retention, engagement, and revenue.

Let’s dive in!

1. Content Marketing

In the digital-first era, content has become an essential tool for organizations of all kinds: not only is it  62% more cost-effective than traditional marketing, high-quality and relevant content significantly impacts consumer decisions, ultimately enhancing interest and engagement. Plus,  84% of consumers expect content from brands and organizations! With its robust generative capabilities, ChatGPT can revolutionize content creation for alumni organizations by generating pertinent ideas, synthesizing written material into various formats, detecting popular themes, and optimizing online visibility.

Consider the hypothetical University Alumni Association,  which aims to foster meaningful connections and engagement among its members. By leveraging ChatGPT, they can create compelling content that aligns with the preferences of their target audience. By gathering data through platforms like Google Analytics, social media analytics tools, email marketing platforms, and member surveys, they can gain insights into member engagement and preferences.

Based on the analysis, the alumni association identifies their members' interest in professional development resources, networking opportunities, and alumni success stories. They can then optimize ChatGPT's content generation parameters to produce content that caters to these themes. This could include generating articles on career tips, organizing virtual networking events, or sharing inspiring alumni stories on social media platforms.

By continually monitoring member feedback and analyzing engagement metrics, the alumni association can fine-tune ChatGPT's output to ensure the content remains relevant and engaging. As a result, University Alumni Association can effectively leverage ChatGPT to create personalized content that resonates with their target audience, leading to increased member engagement, participation in alumni events, and overall growth of the association.

2. Boosting engagement across all channels

Diversifying communication channels is crucial for effective member engagement. In 2021, over 85% of emails were spam, making it essential to diversify communication channels with members. While email open rates ranged between 28% and 33%, according to data from Hubspot , text messages boasted a 99% open rate, with 97% read within 15 minutes. This trend applies to alumni associations too, as 65% of alumni members report a preference for engaging with their association through text message or mobile app, far outperforming email.

ChatGPT can help associations drive engagement through text message marketing by generating concise, personalized, and relevant content for targeted audiences. The model can craft event reminders, program highlights, membership perks, or exclusive offers tailored to individual preferences. ChatGPT's language generation capabilities can help create compelling text messages that capture attention, foster interaction, and boost overall engagement.

3. Personalizing communication

In today's world, consumers expect highly personalized services tailored to their specific needs, as data collection and customized user experiences continue to grow. McKinsey reports that 72% of consumers expect personalized communication from brands, which not only improves member  satisfaction and loyalty, but also helps organizations better understand and serve their constituents. Companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Starbucks  pioneered machine learning models for personalization, using A/B testing at scale to fine-tune their algorithms. Yet, in Cuseum’s recent survey of over 150 alumni relations professionals, 77% believed that they need to offer more personalized engagement to their constituents.

Alumni organizations can leverage ChatGPT to create customized member experiences by analyzing interests and preferences, suggesting personalized virtual or in-person events, providing tailored information and recommendations, and offering interactive experiences like quizzes, games, or even career opportunities. Integrating ChatGPT into websites, text messages, and mobile apps can enhance visitor engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

ChatGPT can also support marketing efforts by analyzing constituent segments and generating custom communications, personalized recommendations, and targeted calls-to-action.With segmentation, sending targeted push notification campaigns to specific users or groups, push notification open rates jump by 21% – and personalization can quadruple open rates, suggesting push notifications are a great tool to leverage customization and maximize engagement.

4. Promoting Events

ChatGPT can revolutionize event promotion for alumni organizations by serving as a virtual assistant, providing event information, answering inquiries, sending reminders, and offering personalized recommendations through a conversational interface on websites or social media channels.

As a valuable asset for alumni membership programs, ChatGPT generates compelling content like engaging event invitations, informative social media posts, and captivating email newsletters, showcasing the unique aspects of each event. It can also generate content for an event itself! For example, it can create a compelling , highlighting the featured guests , or generate an intriguing description for a members-only curator-led tour, sparking curiosity and interest.

Leveraging ChatGPT's capabilities can also ensure event promotion resonates with target audiences, driving increased attendance and engagement. Just a few examples include using audience segmentation and tailored content in an e-newsletter can help boost engagement and event attendance; sending inactive members personalized event invitations; and sending post-event attendees thank-you emails with feedback requests.

Tools like ChatGPT simplify these processes, freeing up time and resources for association staff to concentrate on crucial aspects like event planning and engaging with prospects and members. With an AI assistant handling the labor-intensive tasks of segmentation, personalization, and content creation, even alumni organizations with smaller budgets, limited personnel, and less technical expertise will be able to connect with their members and effectively boost engagement and loyalty.

5. Engaging Visitors Onsite and Online

As of 2022, 74% of members express a preference for virtual engagement with associations, and half of those members intend to primarily engage virtually, while a quarter plan to participate in a hybrid model, combining both in-person and virtual events. That means it will be increasingly important for alumni organizations to foster a robust and engaging online presence for their members.

How can ChatGPT help? To foster online engagement, it can act as a virtual assistant, providing personalized support, answering queries, and offering relevant information to members. By leveraging ChatGPT, associations can facilitate interactive discussions, host virtual events, and offer tailored recommendations based on members' interests. Additionally, ChatGPT can assist with content creation, generating engaging articles, social media posts, and newsletters. It can also create interactive content such as trivia, quizzes, or discussion points to encourage active participation from remote visitors.

Onsite engagement is important in driving membership growth, as not only are member renewal rates positively correlated with the number of times a member visits your organization, but with their level of engagement onsite as well! For onsite engagement, ChatGPT can help facilitate interactive activities like trivia games or surveys, creating an engaging and interactive experience for members. Additionally, it can generate event summaries, capture feedback, and assist with post-event follow-ups. By leveraging ChatGPT's capabilities, alumni associations can elevate member engagement, foster networking opportunities, and provide a seamless and memorable onsite event experience.

6. Offering 24/7 Member Services

As consumers increasingly embrace chatbots for customer service, alumni organizations can leverage ChatGPT to provide 24/7 member assistance. According to Opus Research, 48% of consumers don’t mind whether a human or chatbot assists them, and 35% want more companies to adopt this technology. ChatGPT offers an AI-powered chatbot service that can manage routine tasks such as membership sign-up, renewal, and payment processing. It can also answer inquiries, provide personalized recommendations, and send automated notifications. By using ChatGPT, alumni organizations can deliver prompt, efficient service, enhance member satisfaction, and reduce staffing costs, ultimately improving member engagement and retention.

7. Collecting & Analyzing ALUMNI Data

Data is a fundamental tool for evaluating and enhancing alumni engagement; Yet recent data suggests less than 49% of alumni associations are conducting any kind of data analysis to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts!

Although NLP algorithms like ChatGPT aren't specifically designed for collecting user data, they can be extremely powerful tools for analyzing and interpreting such information. By processing member feedback, social media posts, and other unstructured data sources, these algorithms reveal insights and trends, enabling alumni associations to better comprehend their constituents, optimize resources, and enhance their impact and relevance.

For example, the University of Miami’s digital engagement and philanthropic giving team look at constituents’ Facebook engagement on specific posts developed by the team – then followed up with these potential donors directly. In less than 10 months, Miami referred 7,000 newly identified prospects to gift officers, closed more than $600,000 in new gifts and generated millions in potential pipeline.

By catering to the preferences of different cohorts within their alumni community, associations can maximize their engagement efforts and truly speak to their members where they are most comfortable. In doing so, they can foster greater alumni loyalty and create a more connected alumni network overall. Whether through email updates, social media campaigns, or other methods, leveraging data in this way is sure to help alumni associations boost engagement and strengthen relationships with members for years to come.

Similarly, ChatGPT can help alumni associations analyze data by processing feedback from member surveys or online reviews. By examining the sentiment associated with commonly-used words and phrases, ChatGPT can identify patterns in visitor experiences, preferences, and expectations. Associations can then utilize these insights to make data-driven decisions, such as refining content, enhancing member services, or tailoring marketing campaigns to target specific audience segments. 

8. enhanced Fundraising

Analyzing alumni engagement metrics such as event attendance rates and online activity will also help reveal patterns that can inform your outreach strategies for different segments. According to recent data from Eventbrite, 36% of alumni who attend events are likely to donate, so investing in strategies to boost participation is a crucial way to drive donations as well as deeper engagement.

ChatGPT can help raise funds by generating persuasive, tailored content for various donor segments. From engaging donation appeals and impact stories to personalized acknowledgments and informative updates, ChatGPT assists associations in strengthening donor relationships, boosting donations, and reaching fundraising targets.

Consider an alumni organization seeking funds for a university outreach initiative. ChatGPT can create a multi-faceted campaign that includes persuasive appeals, impact stories, personalized thank-yous, and progress updates. This comprehensive approach keeps donors informed, engaged, and motivated to contribute to the project's success.

To harness ChatGPT's potential, simply provide specific prompts, such as crafting an email for recent grads, composing a social media post for a networking event, or drafting an invitation for a fundraising gala. With these prompts, ChatGPT generates targeted content to bolster fundraising efforts across multiple communication channels, ensuring that alumni associations continue to thrive and enrich the lives of their current and future members.

ChatGPT and similar AI technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way alumni associations engage with their members. While there may be challenges to address, such as concerns around privacy and the impact on traditional alumni engagement methods, the benefits for these associations are substantial.

ChatGPT can provide valuable insights into member behavior patterns, enabling associations to make informed decisions more efficiently. It can create personalized experiences that keep members engaged and connected. By reducing manual labor and increasing efficiency, ChatGPT allows associations to allocate resources towards higher-value activities. Additionally, it enhances the member experience by offering 24/7 customer service and support. With access to a wealth of data points, ChatGPT becomes a crucial tool for alumni associations to stay competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape and foster meaningful connections with their members.

Want to learn more about how emerging technologies can help boost alumni engagement? Let’s get in touch! Request a free demo today!

Further Reading:

• 6 Ways Personalization Can Supercharge Alumni Engagement

• Boost Alumni Engagement: Top 5 Strategies To Activate Recent Graduates

• How Alumni Associations Can Build Member Loyalty

• eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating the New Landscape of Alumni Engagement